- Title: ISRAEL: France's first gay couple join thousands for Tel Aviv gay pride
- Date: 7th June 2013
- Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (JUNE 7, 2013) (REUTERS) LESBIANS, GAYS, BISEXUALS AND TRANSSEXUALS (LGBT) AND THEIR FRIENDS WALKING ON STREET, FOLLOWING SOUND SYSTEM ON TRUCKS REVELLERS WALKING BEHIND SOUND SYSTEM ON TRUCK MAN DRESSED IN PINK DANCING AT THE BACK OF A TRUCK, WAVING RAINBOW COLOURED FAN REVELLERS ON STREET PEOPLE DANCING ON TRUCK MAN IN G-STRING PANTS DANCING ON TRUCK MEN
- Embargoed: 22nd June 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA8R6E0VORZJTHOD8N2DHQDECOY
- Story Text: Thousands of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals and their friends danced in the streets of Tel Aviv on Friday (June 7) for the Middle East's largest gay pride.
Less than an hour away but a world apart from traditional places of pilgrimage in the Holy Land, Israel's free-wheeling city of Tel Aviv has succeeded in becoming a hotspot for gay tourism.
Israel's Tourism Ministry, along with Tel Aviv's municipality launched a campaign four years ago aimed at boosting rainbow tourism, offering a vibrant nightlife, Mediterranean sunshine, sandy beaches and cultural activities.
The campaign paid off in 2011 and 2012 when Tel Aviv won best gay city contest, sweeping past San Francisco, New York and Berlin.
This year, Tel Aviv tourism office invited Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau, France's first ever gay couple.
Autin and Boileau tied the knot last month (May 29) in Montpellier, France.
France became the 14th country in the world to allow same-sex marriage when a new law came into force last month. The law has divided France and triggered street protests by conservatives, Catholics and extreme right-wingers.
Autin and Boileau said their marriage showed love prevailed over hatred.
"We are all citizens of the world and the planet must become a planet for respect, for living together, a planet of encounters where there is more love than hatred," Autin said.
Since their wedding, the couple said they received many messages of support.
But the debate is not closed yet, Autin also said.
"Of course there will be many things to sort out because this debate left some scars. The homophobia, clearly admitted, that we have witnessed for the last few things months requires some work from non-governmental organisations to heal the wounds. There you are... But history will remember that solidarity prevailed over this hate," Boileau also said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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